The Bushwackers Experience

Circa 1977 – 1980

Fitzroy, Melbourne

It was as hot as hell in the Dan O’Connell Hotel, even in winter, but you couldn’t help being swept away by the crowd and the music. There were moments in the show when the mob would respond by singing ‘Skippy’ and doing things that were equally incomprehensible to a first-timer in the audience.

Somehow, ‘The Bushwackers’ would take you back to colonial days when a bloke was either your mate or a policeman. Somehow it was no longer a crowded pub on a bleak night in Melbourne, but a hot, dry patch of Queensland dirt in the middle of a drought — or even a hiding place during a shoot with the ‘traps’ in Victoria.

You were transported to the worlds of the larrikin, the swaggie, those on the land, the grieving wife, the boy in the trenches of Gallipolli. The band would challenge your politic too, at every turn. They forced you to take a side, preferably for the worker or the oppressed, whoever and whenever they may be.

The Bushwackers were the first major Australian band to take a stand on issues such as becoming a republic, ditching the Royal Family, adopting the Eureka flag and ending the prohibition of marijuana.

Although the band’s passionate music and strong views no doubt combined to attract huge public support, there are simple factors more powerful than either of these which caused the Bushwackers band to become a phenomenon.

Bring Back Bushdancing!

Bushdancing is a great activity for kids and adults, a great mix of music, physical education, culture and history. In the 1980’s is became a phenomenon for the sheer joy of dancing with others and we are hoping to bring that all back.

Buy The Bushwackers Music

Download The Bushwackers Music

Bring Back Bush Dancing

There’s barely an Australian adult under 40 who didn’t learn ‘The Heel and Toe Polka’ to the strains of The Bushwackers Dance Album blaring through the speakers.
The Bush Dance is a real organic experience, more than ever it’s important to connect with our kids and families. Lets get out of our heads, out of our phones, laptops and devices and get our feet moving!
CLICK HERE to find out more.